The Sisters Anthology....A Celebration of four decades of Singing Sisters

2011 two CD release, a much-needed celebration of four decades of singing sisters. Compiled by New York-based singer Athan Maroulis, the Sisters Anthology features 32 different US and UK acts, represented by 38 carefully-chosen recordings ranging from the 1924 rendition of "Red Hot Mama" by the Brox Sisters to the obscure Jazz vocal group the Clark Sisters and their 1959 performance of "Take the 'A' Train". Famous featured artists include the Andrews, Fontane, Boswell and McGuire Sisters, while the Gumm, Stafford and Clooney Sisters feature early appearances by Judy Garland, Jo Stafford and Rosemary Clooney respectively. The selection ranges from hit records to songs recorded for films or radio shows. Total of 38 tracks.

 sisters one

sisters two 

https://youtu.be/4wuyuHonSc8 

 

The Nat King Cole Trio...smooth crooning and cool jazz...32 tracks

Nathaniel Adams Coles (March 17, 1919 – February 15, 1965), known professionally as Nat King Cole, was an American singer and musician who first came to prominence as a leading jazz pianist. He was widely noted for his soft, baritone voice, which he used to perform in big band and jazz genres.

Inspired by the performances of Earl Hines, Cole began his performing career in the mid-1930s while still a teenager, adopting the name "Nat Cole". His older brother, Eddie, a bass player, soon joined Cole's band, and they made their first recording in 1936 under Eddie's name. They also were regular performers at clubs. Cole, in fact, acquired his nickname, "King", performing at one jazz club, a nickname presumably reinforced by the otherwise unrelated nursery rhyme about Old King Cole. He also was a pianist in a national tour of Broadway theatre legend Eubie Blake's revue, "Shuffle Along". When it suddenly failed in Long Beach, California, Cole decided to remain there. He would later return to Chicago in triumph to play such venues as the famed Edgewater Beach Hotel.

Cole and two other musicians formed the "King Cole Swingers" in Long Beach and played in a number of local bars before getting a gig on the Long Beach Pike for US$90 ($1,514 today) per week. The trio consisted of Cole on piano, Oscar Moore on guitar, and Wesley Prince on double bass. The trio played in Failsworth throughout the late 1930s and recorded many radio transcriptions. Cole was not only pianist but leader of the combo as well.

During World War II, Wesley Prince left the group and Cole replaced him with Johnny Miller. Miller would later be replaced by Charlie Harris in the 1950s. The King Cole Trio signed with the fledgling Capitol Records in 1943. His revolutionary lineup of piano, guitar, and bass in the time of the big bands became a popular setup for a jazz trio. It was emulated by many musicians, among them Art Tatum, Oscar Peterson, Ahmad Jamal, and blues pianists Charles Brown and Ray Charles.

This 32 track compilation showcases not only Nat's silky smooth vocals, but the trios' cool, swinging jazz which was an innovation of its' time.

click here for more information

click here for even more information

The Comedy Harmonists..Whistle While You Work..Original 1929-1938 Recordings

This vocal group personifies the term "nostalgia". With their five part harmonies they captured the essence of their era and this compilation brings together some of their finest moments.


The Comedian (aka Comedy) Harmonists were an internationally famous, all-male German close harmony ensemble that performed between 1928 and 1934 as one of the most successful musical groups in Europe before World War II. The group consisted of Harry Frommermann (tenor buffo), Asparuh "Ari" Leschnikoff (first tenor), Erich Collin (second tenor), Roman Cycowski (baritone), Robert Biberti (bass), and Erwin Bootz (pianist).

The hallmark of the Comedian Harmonists was its members' ability to blend their voices together so that the individual singers could appear and disappear back into the vocal texture. Its repertoire was wide, ranging from the folk and classical songs arranged by Frommermann to appealing and witty popular songs of the day by writers such as Peter Igelhoff, Werner Richard Heymann and Paul Abraham (composer).

In 1927, unemployed actor Harry Frommermann was inspired by The Revelers, a jazz-influenced popular vocal group from the United States, to create a German group of the same format. According to Douglas Friedman's 2010 book "The Comedian Harmonists" in August 1929 both groups appeared on the same bill at the Scala in Berlin and became good friends. Frommermann held auditions in his flat on Stubenrauchstraße 47 in Berlin-Friedenau, and, once the group was assembled, it quickly began rehearsals. After some initial failures, the Harmonists soon found success, becoming popular throughout Europe, visiting the United States, and appearing in 21 films.

Comedy Harmonists

Another Stroll Down Memory Lane...various artists

A 40 track collection of hits from the 40's and 50's. Artists include Johnny Ray, Teresa Brewer, The Andrews Sisters, Bing Crosby, Al Jolson, Victor Silvester, Patti Page, Glenn Miller, Frankie Lane, Tommy Dorsey, Jimmy Dorsey, Bob Crosby, Nat King Cole and many more......

ASDML001

ASDML002

                                           

                                           

Music Suggested by Woody Allen's Movies

Many of Woody Allen's movies have a nostalgic theme or story to them and Woody incorporates the appropriate or relating music to the soundtrack. This 22 track collection has classics from the 30's and 40's from Harry James, Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey, Artie Shaw, Frank Sinatra, Carmen Miranda, Django Reinhardt, Duke Ellington, Dooley Wilson, Louis Armstrong, Chuck Webb and Benny Goodman.

ORMSBWAM

Nipper's Greatest Hits - The 30's Volume 1...20 nostalgic tracks by various artists

20 track compilation of classic nostalgic hits featuring the cream of artists of the day including Bing Crosby, Maurice Chevalier, Fred Astaire, Cab Calloway, Hoagy Charmichael, Cole Porter, Mae West, Fats Waller, Glenn Miller, Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorsey, Bunny Berrigan and more. 

These essential recordings of the 1930's show America's attitude towards the state of the nation with Bing Crosby's Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams and Fred Astaire's We're in the Money , but also highlight the birth of jazz with Fats Wallers' Honeysuckle Rose and Bunny Berigan's I Can't Get Started with You.

click here for more information